<p>The SAT is a measure of how good your tutor is.
The ACT isn’t a true test of intelligence…but it’s better.</p>
<p>My son did better on the SAT than the ACT which initially surprised me but when looking at the scores, it was that dreaded Science section that did him in…the low score in that section lowered everything else. If he studied that more, he would have had much higher because the other scores were better.(no time or interest to repeat then)
He liked the shorter test…it wasn’t that much shorter, but all in all, he felt it was more straight-forward and the essay questions, more relvelant to things he could write about off the top of his head.</p>
<p>is there a real advantage on taking both tests?</p>
<p>like lets say i get 2200 on SAT</p>
<p>and i get 2150 on SAT/32 on ACT.</p>
<p>lets say a that 32 on the ACT=2150 on the SAT</p>
<p>because i took two tests however, will i get an advantage?</p>
<p>also do colleges generally require two tests?</p>
<p>No, you have to take one or the other.</p>
<p>neot3e0ne:</p>
<p>Colleges don’t require two tests. They may require one but not the other, or a special combination (i.e. ACT with SAT subject tests). Taking two tests with approximately equal scores will not net you a significant advantage. Colleges will accept both, but look at the highest score (generally speaking).</p>
<p>I’d say the one exception is if you home school, in which case many colleges are going to want to see as many standardized tests as possible. Since the ACT is partially an achievement test, it would carry added weight over the SAT I alone which attempts to measure reasoning ability not achievement. But many top schools also want home schoolers to submit several SAT II scores.</p>
<p>I would have to disagree with post #21. No matter how good the teacher is, if the student can’t follow, there’s no way it’s going to work out.</p>
<p>There’s an easy answer to this.</p>
<ol>
<li>ACT is easier to get a high score</li>
<li>ACT is harder to get a perfect</li>
</ol>
<p>35 ACT = easier than : 2300 SAT</p>
<p>I know several people that got 34-35s on ACT but got under 2200 SAT.</p>
<p>I was just on the Connecticut College admissions site and they say right out that they prefer the ACT and they actually discourage the SAT I. They ask for either the ACT or two SAT II tests. Interesting…</p>
<p>HSN, my son applied there in 2005 and it was the same thing, they pushed the ACT over the 2 SATll’s (which was fine with him) He did get in but got very little aid, just a little over R&B clear I think and some loans, although being on the “poorer” scale with most students at that time, footing most of the bill, we also received a Perkins loan from them along with other stafford loans and a small grant.</p>
<p>Like it or not, the ACT is easier than the SAT.
I’ve seen people who were able to get 34 on the ACT who couldn’t even break 2100 on the SAT (after taking the SAT twice!).
I don’t think colleges, outside of those in the Midwest, are paying too much attention though to the ACT since the examples I can think of didn’t benefit (in terms of what colleges a 34 ACT would get you accepted at) from the super-high ACT even if they forgot to send their more mediocre SAT.
I could be wrong but I think colleges like to see both the SAT and the ACT.
They prefer the SAT but if you did decently well on the SAT (2100-ish) and get a 36 on the ACT and send both- that will work in your favor for the best schools in the nation.
On the other hand, a 36 ACT would work pretty well by itself- I’d think- lol.</p>
<p>^^ I’d actually have to disagree with you Mondo. Contrary to what you have seen I’ve seen people with 2200+ on the SAT sweat to even break 30 on the ACT. I guess both tests are different, with each having its pros and cons. I personally find the ACT easier. I’m one of those with a 36 on the ACT, but I only have a 2120 on the SAT. I’m taking it next week and in November to see if I can pull it up to atleast mid 2200s, but oh well. I didn’t bother studying because all the SAT does is really aggravate me with the trick questions and the booby traps, whereas the ACT is much more straightforward. Hopefully the colleges won’t mind if my SAT isn’t too high, but I have to send both in anyway as I took three SAT II’s.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Check out the Blue Devil’s numbers ('12):</p>
<p>SAT range: 1370-1550</p>
<p>ACT range: 29-33</p>
<p>According to the old concordance table, a 29 is the SAT equivalent to a 1300, and a 33 was equivalent to a 1470. In essence, it looks like Duke give the ACT applicants a break (or maybe Duke admissions considers the ACT as the harder test..) :D</p>
<p>All 36’s are not created equal: You have the 144s, the 143s, and the 142s (you’ll find out about their importance at Presidential Scholar time).</p>
<p>Then again, with the SAT you have the 2400 single seating and all the multiple commbinations of superscores.</p>
<p>Eeergh, the ACT irks me because it’s what you’ve learned, not whether or not you can apply what you’ve learned.</p>
<p>Maybe that’s just my East-coast attitude speaking.</p>
<p>^^yes it is. There is little difference between the SAT-CR and the ACT-English/Reading (both present mind-numbing passages). Math is math – the ACT math is just more straightforward (less “reasoning,” i.e., if a train leaves Cleveland…), and includes 4 trig problems. The so-called science section is the main difference, and it’s all about speed-reading charts and graphs – no/little science background necessary – the ACT science is its version of including logic, or “reasoning”.</p>
<p>That’s weird. I guess it depends on your strengths. </p>
<p>It’s likely that the Math/Reading on the ACT and the Math/Reading on the SAT- they are fairly similar.
However, I have a friend who got a 700 on the Math SAT and a 35 on the Math ACT- I think the reason is that the math is more straightforward and its easier to plug numbers in.</p>
<p>Some benefit from the English and Science sections- others don’t.</p>
<p>Wow! I actually didn’t know that 36 was 142, 143, or 144- I thought it was just 144.
A 36 still seems pretty hard to get- lol.</p>
<p>Mondo, I do think you are incorrect. Although at one time, schools in the East did indeed have a very strong preference for the SAT over the ACT, that bias has completely disappeared now. All schools will take either the SAT or the ACT, and to my knowledge, no schools require, or even imply, that you have to take both. Most schools indicate that if you do submit both ACT and SAT scores, they will just take the higher of the two. Do you have some specific examples of schools that have stated a preference for the SAT or have indicated that they want to see both ACT and SAT scores?</p>
<p>And I don’t think you can really say that the ACT is “easier” than the SAT for anyone other than yourself. They are testing different things so what may be easy for you may be more challenging for someone else and vice versa – just like some students find calculus to be difficult, while it’s a piece of cake for others. That’s why guidance counselors often suggest that students take both the ACT and SAT; sometimes one just “clicks” better with a particular student. In our own family, S1 did significantly better on the SAT, while S2 did much better on the ACT (at least according to the concordance tables), but I think the differences in performance are usually relatively small for most students who take both tests.</p>
<p>^^ my kids are like worriedmom’s…one kid did well on the SAT and other other did well on the ACT.</p>
<p>A question is which test is better at measuring intelligence?
The ACT or SAT?</p>